App Review: Wonderputt for iPad

Wonderputt is a very quirky minigolf game where all 18 holes are on the screen at once, it’s brought to us by the developers at Damp Gnat. The visuals are inventive and very interesting to watch. After the 8th playthrough, I was still not tired of watching everything fit together. Sadly, Wonderputt only works for the iPad 2 and newer.

Gameplay

The way each one works is very well put together. The mechanics remind me of the old Grow flash games. The player hits the golf ball into the hole and the scenery morphs. Each hole is progressively more difficult than the last. This is not saying much, because each hole is also quite simple to beat. I got an albatross on every single hole. It’s a very casual game, and it’s quick. One of the achievements is to beat all 18 holes within 3 minutes.

To hit the ball, you pull back on the ball to adjust power and aim, release to launch. I never encountered a hiccup from the controls. They are smooth and simple and don’t need to be any more than they are. The gameplay does require some skill if your goal is to get on the high score lists. After the player beats the game once, there is a collectible mode where the objective is to collect all of the rainbow pieces scattered about on the course. While not difficult, it does add some depth to the game and give reason to continue playing, if you aren’t playing just for the surreal experience.

Graphics

The graphics are quite beautiful in Wonderputt. Each addition to the already awesome looking course was inventive and interesting to watch as it unfolded. For example, after I finished a round where cows were abducted by aliens, snow fell on the field where the cows previously were and it was turned into a ski slope.

The animations are completely smooth and work great. Attention to detail here really is quite something. It’s no wonder this game was not ported to the iPhone and iPod, all the little details would not have been easy to see. Wonderputt has more of an artsy feel to it, like a morphing painting with a relative amount of interactivity.

Overall

Although it does seem a bit too simple at times, which may be the games only downfall. It would be awesome for the developers to get some more courses made for it as well. The one course is great, but I would be very excited to see what new ideas may come.